The Reason is You
by Cakefiend730
Summary: Eric is a leader of Dauntless who's never felt anything for anyone before. Tris is the person who changes all of that. Eric sees in her something he's always been missing, true bravery. Can he overcome his place as a villain in his story to keep what truly matters to him? Or will it be too late?
1. Training Day

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent or it's characters_**

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Dauntless

Not really a description, more a way of life. But I guess that's how I'd describe her.

Tris first arrived with the other initiates. I didn't bother to give her a second glance when she came. Overall she looked unimpressive, plain, and proper. None of these screamed Dauntless. I do have a right to judge the Dauntless in someone. My name is Eric and I am one of the elected leaders of my faction. Each piercing, each tattoo, each glare I had specifically designed to break away from myself. The initiates were scared, terrified, some even looked at me like I was the thing from their nightmares. But I wasn't angry, I thrived on their terror. I held their lives in my hands and it made me their God. They all bowed before me like some God, but then there was her. It wasn't fear in her eyes. It was hatred. You know hatred and love are actually a very similar emotion. Both so filled with passion and desperation. Back to the point though, this confession is supposed to justify my hatred. My trial, my confession, start with her.

Initiation Day

"You chose us, and now we choose you."

You could feel the air split and the tensions rise. The majority of it leaking from the transfers.

"You will be trained separately, transfers will learn basics while Dauntless borns will advance their training. We will have 3 rounds of training, but in the end only 10 of you will become Dauntless."

The shock and despair was delicious to absorb, their cries and gasps causing me to let out a laugh. It was loud and drawn out, just the kind of laugh I knew they feared. I'd practiced it after being chosen a leader. But then again, my purpose was much more than they knew.

"The first round will be physical. Dauntless born are to be trained by Lauren, and the transfers are to be trained by Four."

I spit out his name like acid. He was nothing but an un talented coward. During our initiation, he ranked higher than me in the end. I was second best. With him here I would always be second best. But I was the leader, not him. Which meant that I had much more power to abuse.

"Now I will not be instructing, but I will be watching very closely. Especially to the transfers. That said, let's get to work."

I turned my back and left them, thinking nothing of any of them.

It wasn't until the second round of fights that I noticed her. She was so small, so weak, so unskilled. I was sure she wouldn't last the first round, but then she fought Molly. Molly was a big girl, likely having half a foot and 50 pounds on Tris. But what I saw Tris do was the most well fought fight I'd ever seen from a girl her size. She took Molly down quickly, using her small center of balance and speed to capitalize on her opponents weaknesses. Until then I had been so sure she could never be Dauntless, now I knew. She would be.

After the fight was over, I smiled and began clapping. She looked over at me and hatred burned her eyes. I had never seen such rage coming from an Abnegation before. But then again she did transfer to Dauntless. She intrigued me, to my roots as an erudite. My mind studied her, eager to collect more data and learn more. I had to keep myself alert when this happened. In Dauntless, loyalty to your faction is the only thing that matters.

After their session was over, and they were meant to have some free time, I pulled Tris aside. "Nice fighting out there Stiff. How'd it feel to get your first taste of blood?"

She regarded me like something she was forced to eat, yet couldn't bear to swallow. I could see in her eyes what I looked like. A monster.

"I'm just doing what it takes to become a true Dauntless." There was a fire in her words, and yet even with her hate there was an under set of fear.

"How about you stay for a bit of extra training."

"That wouldn't be fair to the other initiates, so no thank you." I frowned at her, the politeness she was raised with as a stiff starting to creep in.

"How about I phrase it this way? I'm in charge and you're not leaving until I say you can." I stepped closer, and there was a wall behind her that kept her from moving. I was so close, she looked away. She had a tattoo on her collarbone, 3 birds flying. I wondered what it meant to her.

"Get on the mat." I ordered, moving aside to let her through. Gentleness was never my strong suit, but then again fighting isn't hers either.

"The first thing you should be able to do in a fight is distinguish your opponents weaknesses. Analyze me. What should be my weaknesses?"

She thought about it, her eyebrow picking up as she contemplated. "Well you're taller and bigger than me, so you have a higher center of gravity to utilize."

I nodded, making a rolling motion with my hands to show her to go on.

"That's all I see." She conceded, a blush running through her pale cheeks. It was something I was not accustomed to seeing in this place.

"I'll tell you what I see then." I began circling her to get a good look. "You're not very muscular so your punches can't deal a substantial amount of damage. You have weak knees that sometimes shake when you walk. Being smaller and thinner, Id have to be careful of your speed. All in all, you could prove to be a very fierce opponent with some training."

She smirked, beginning to say thanks before clearing her throat. "What should I have seen in you?"

"Well you were right about size and weight, and my center of gravity. There's also my piercings. If the fight got really bloody you could rip one out. But your most substantial advantage, is the fact that you're beautiful." I reached out my hand to touch her face and she jerked away in surprise.

"Shall we fight then?" She asked, her voice cracking as she addressed me, not looking me in the eyes.

"Yes, but I won't hurt you. That's the job of the other initiates. Well start with blocking. If I go to punch your jaw, where do you put your hands to block?" She raised her hands to her face and I sighed.

"To protect yourself from a punch, you have to catch their forearm with your forearm, give them no chance to recover the speed they had."

I swung slowly at her, and nodded when she blocked me.

"Now what about lower hits like your stomach or side?"

She placed her hands awkwardly in front of her, folding them together.

"No, the only way to block direct hits below is to move out of their way. When you punch lower, your center of gravity is lower which provides your opponent with a chance to avoid and knock you down."

I went to punch her stomach, but she jumped out of the way trying to kick my legs out from underneath me. She lost her balance trying and fell.

"Another thing," I said, helping her up, "if you're gonna try and get someone on the ground from a kick, aim for the knees. For example."

I stretched out my leg, twisted, and aimed for her right knee. She wasn't ready for it, so she fell to the ground. Her arm grabbed a handful of my shirt before she hit the ground, and I fell with her. She was underneath me, and I could feel her hot breath against my face. She was excited, but that same blush creeped up on me. She was beautiful like this, her heart racing, her instincts kicking in.

"There's always that too." I argued, clearing my throat and standing up. I raised out a hand to help her up.

She took it cautiously, and wiped herself off.

"You can go hang out with your friends now. You've made progress."

"Thanks." She muttered, running towards the exit.

That was the first time my heart beat strangely and Tris found her way into my head.

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**_Sorry if they seem a bit out of character, this story just came to me after I saw the lack of Eric and Tris fanfic. Don't get me wrong though, Tris and Tobias is supreme. Please read and review._**


	2. Watch Her

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent or the characters_**

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Tris was making steady progress, and I couldn't help but smile when she won her fight against Myra.

I played it off with a cough, but Four glared at me all the same. I glared back but he had turned his attention to the initiates.

After the day was over and the initiates were allowed some free time, but I grabbed Tris and offered more training.

"You were better in your fight today, but you're still sloppy and off balance."

She scoffed at me and rolled her eyes. It was like a fire inside of her to be the best. Sometimes it seemed that she did well out of spite.

Today she looked at me like I was a viper, ready to bite. "Is this about Christina?"

She turned away and started for the door, but I was not having the silent treatment from an initiate. I grabbed her arm and she tried to counter, but I was too strong. I had to punish Christina for giving up on her fight. If I hadn't I would look weak, and that is something I refuse to do.

"Let me go!" she demanded, an angry flush grazing her cheeks.

"You have to see it like I do."

"See what? Your sadistic need to hurt us and push us to our break?"

"I knew Christina could do it, and if I hadn't punished her it would've made me look weak."

"And if she couldn't do it? You looked cruel, and I had hoped…" She trailed off, but I could sense her angry dropping.

"Hoped what? That I was some fluffy bunny and rainbow loving guy who just wanted the best for everyone? I'm Dauntless, and it is my duty to make sure that Dauntless is full of brave and strong initiates. Giving in was a sign of cowardice, bravery is all that matters to Dauntless."

I took a deep breath and tried to lower my temper. She was just a naïve Stiff, coming from selflessness and humility must make it difficult for her to see me as anything but cruel.

"Tris, if you want to be Dauntless, you need to understand this faction is ruthless, cruel, and exhausting. Every moment of your life is lived in the face of fear. It's how the Dauntless feel alive."

"Does it need to be like that? Bullying the initiates is a sign of cowardice."

"But training them isn't. What about when you're in an actual fight? Do you just hold out your hand and give in? When people's lives are on the line? Is it brave then to give up?"

My point hit her and it had the same reaction as if I had slapped her.

"You're right, but did you have to be so cruel."

"Cruelty and bravery are often confused, but maybe I did go a little overboard about Christina."

It was then that I realized I was still holding her arm. I let go, moving towards the punching bags hanging in the middle of the room.

"Where do you aim when you are facing an opponent to incapacitate them?"

She looked at the target and took a deep breath, launching herself at the sides and head of the human outline.

I pushed her shoulder, and she lost her balance. A curse I didn't think Stiffs knew escaped her and I began to laugh.

"You caught me off guard, it won't happen again." I nodded, trying to contain my laughing.

"Where'd a Stiff learn a word like that?"

"I was around Dauntless before in school, they used to always yell everything. Maybe I paid a little too much attention. I wasn't a very good member of Abnegation."

I placed my hand on her stomach. "Keep a tightness here or you'll easily get thrown off balance."

She seemed to hesitate, even for a moment. This time she wasn't holding anything back as she lashed forward and hit her marks.

I went to once again throw her off, but she was expecting me this time, catching me off guard. Its not easy to catch me off guard, but when this little girl flipped me on my back, I'll admit I was very surprised.

"Nice job Stif…Tris."

She gleamed with victory as she looked at me. It was a beautiful site to see. That fire in her eyes was her best quality.

"Never underestimate my learning curve." She joked, offering me a hand. I took it and popped up. She hadn't hit me hard, but it was a start.

"I'll make sure to not underestimate you." I added, with the tiniest bit of a smile. She was intriguing for a Stiff, and had made so much progress so quickly.

"Let's move on to aggressive defense. How to use your enemy's attacks against them."

I moved back towards the training mats. "I want you to hit me, choose anywhere you like."

She didn't take too much convincing, and she prepared herself. From her stance and where she was looking, I could tell she was going to try for my left side.

I blocked her fist with my forearm and moved my other arm to her stomach. I placed my fist where it would've made contact.

"What does this tell you?"

She looked down and seemed to struggle to find an answer. My last little quiz must've frustrated her so she was trying very hard to get it right.

"I left myself vulnerable on one side by focusing my entire body to my attack."

I nodded, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear. "Yep, as long as your attacker is focused on one single area of their attack, you can utilize that vulnerability to land a blow."

Her eyes perked up for a moment, then she tried her best to hide a smile.

"What?" I asked, her grin bringing in some curiosity.

She stepped closer, arms at her sides. "Do you remember when you first pulled me aside? You told me what my advantages were. What were they again?"

I swallowed hard as she stepped closer. There was not much room between us. My answer came out shakily.

"I told you you were smaller, faster, and had a low center of gravity."

Closing the gap, she brought the corners of her lips to a point. A smirk replaced her grin. "Anything else?"

I thought and then remembered, a blush...a goddamn blush...coming to my cheeks. It hadn't meant anything, but suddenly with her this close it flustered me.

"And that you're beautiful."

With that, she leaned up as if to kiss me. Before our lips could touch, she moved her arm and punched me hard in the side. I lost my balance and stumbled into a wall.

"Did I do that right?" She asked, her lips turned up in a huge smile accompanied by a girly laugh.

I just nodded, regaining my stance.

"Nice little trick there Stiff. I'd say that's enough training for today."

She turned on her heels and walked with a new sort of pep in her step. I couldn't help but stare after her.

There was something about her that I couldn't quite place, but I knew that she was amazing.

I had a meeting with the glorious leader, so I had to shower and head over to the Erudite headquarters.

It wasn't until I began discussing the transfer initiates that things got interesting.

"So you don't see anyone that stands out as divergent?"

She questioned, looking at me with that cruel calculating stare she has.

"No, no one I can notice but then again they can be very good at hiding it."

She sat on the edge of her desk and looked over her figures.

"Beatrice Prior. Do you know her?"

"Is she an initiate?" I asked, looking over at her as she started a projection with Tris's picture.

"Oh. Tris..."

I left her name to hang in the air.

"You have a new assignment. Watch this girl. Her test results were put in manually, she could be one of them. Your job is simple. Romance her. Get her to trust you completely. Find out if she is Divergent, and bring her to me."

I grimaced, glaring at the file she handed me. "And if she's not divergent?"

"Throw her away and return to your original mission. With the plan being so close to completion, finding as many divergent as possible are primary. Tris is the most suspicious. She must be watched."

She finished with a dismissive tone a and I knew arguing was impossible.

"As always, it's nice to see you." I spat, leaving her office in anger.

She had been the reason I became Dauntless in the first place. Now she had something on me and I couldn't escape. For now, I had to do what she ordered. For now, I had to make Tris mine.

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**_Im rolling with it, I'm still working out the kinks though so the plot is not airtight but I'm excited about the story._**


	3. Date Prep

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent or it's characters_**

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"Tris," I called, waiting to congratulate her. She had just won a fight against Molly, and although it wasn't much, it bumped her up past the line of who becomes factionless.

She turned towards me, her blonde eyes full of rage still. "Woah there, you might kill someone like that."

She looked confused for a second then smiled at me. "Thanks for your help. I wasn't sure I would've been able to beat her without your sessions."

I was waiting for a snide remark or a tone of sarcasm, but she seemed genuine. I didn't know how to respond to that. Gratitude is not that common in Dauntless.

"No problem. I was a transfer too when I came 2 years ago. I know how difficult it can be to adapt."

That was a true enough statement. When I arrived, I realized that my pent up rage was more of a skill than baggage. In my first fight, I broke 3 of my opponents ribs and their nose.

It wasn't until Four beat me later on I even realized how savage my fighting was. Still, having that Stiff bastard place above me is something I'll never forget.

I was always second best in Erudite and now in Dauntless I will always be second best. Thanks to him.

I must've made a fist while I was thinking because the next thing that I noticed was Tris's petite fingers on my forearm.

"Eric are you okay?"

She looked at me with real concern and I nodded.

Jeanine's words echoed in the back of my mind, a command I couldn't obey.

"As congratulations for winning your fight, how about I treat you to dinner tonight? Since it's the end of the first round of training, there's some free time."

She hesitated in answering, a confusion and nervousness planting itself as her expression.

"I would... Wouldn't that be... Is it allowed?"

"Yep. I'm in charge and so anything I say goes. Besides you guys could use a break."

I felt a sharp pain in my chest when she said yes and for a moment I thought I had a small coronary.

"I'll pick you up outside the dorm at 8."

Then I walked away. I cursed myself under my breath for letting myself be manipulated by Jeanine, but then Four began to close in.

"Eric." He addressed me with a vicious anger I'd never seen from him before.

"Yes princess? I know you like to think that I have time for all the little people but I've got a faction to run."

We had reached the control room door by now, but Four was blocking my exit. We were pretty evenly matched, but I knew he would take me in a fight.

"What were you doing with Tris?" He asked, trying to hide his obvious concern. If I didn't hate him so much I would've been touched.

"Nothing much. Why?" I asked, watching him squirm with my lack of answers.

"Eric. I know what you're planning, but Tris is not like that. Abnegation don't treat romance like Dauntless do."

His choice of word in romance caused me to laugh.

"Is Four a bit jealous? What? Mad I got to her first?" He looked violent in that moment, but he seemed to remember who I was and where we were.

"I know you have a thing for this girl, and I feel for you. Actually that's a lie, the fact you like her just gives me more incentive. Now I don't see any reason that two adults can't go have a chat over dinner."

"Eric. This isn't a game. She's not a toy to play with. If you're only doing this to get back at me then just leave her alone."

"And what if I have sincere feelings for her?"

"You don't know how to feel." He spat, trying to put all his frustration and anger into his words.

"Yes well, I'll take that into account, now get out of my way. I have a date to get ready for." I have to admit, watching my actions crawl under his skin and make a little home was giving me immense satisfaction, but this was work just as much as it was fun.

He moved to the side, temporarily but not entirely defeated. As I walked past him, he took my arm and whispered, "If you hurt her I will kill you."

It was almost enough to make me feel bad for the guy. He was in love with her and she was going on a date with his nemesis. I did stress the almost right?

After a couple of meetings and a phone call to Jeanine about my progress, I went to my apartment to get changed.

A shower later, I found myself examining my shoulder length hair. I hadn't cut it since becoming a dauntless, but now it seemed a rather pointless rebellion.

I picked up the phone near my bed and dialed a number. "Hey Milo. No it's Eric. Yes, I know Ive been very busy making sure the world works right. You still cut hair? Yeah, it's getting a little annoying. How soon can you be here? Great! See you in 10 minutes."

I put on a pair of black distressed jeans and a dark red button down before hearing a knock on my door. I opened it and in walked Milo.

He was tall with a sleeve of tattoos on his right arm and the word dauntless across his collar.

"How much we talking? I've been begging you to let me cut it for years."

I just shrugged, telling him to do what he thought would look good and not get in the way. Since my hair was already wet, it was easy. It only took about 15 minutes to get done, and when it was done I almost didn't recognize myself.

"I figured I'd give you something powerful but functional." He remarked, handing me a hand mirror.

It was short, almost shaved on the sides. On top was a kind of faux hawk that I liked. "Nice job Milo. Now I can show off my neck tattoos a little more."

"Thanks. But I know what's going on. You didn't just spontaneously want a cut. You have a date. Now I'm not gonna pry, but if you have a date that you're willing to cut your hair for. I'd say take out about 20 or so piercings. Leave the two on your eyebrow. That way you still look like you don't give a shit, but you also can see your face."

I didn't ask how he knew, just thanking him again. He had another appointment so he had to leave and I thought about what he had said.

In the mirror I saw myself. Well not really myself. The myself I'd created at Dauntless.

Part of the reason I got all those piercings was to hide. I guess he was right. It didn't take long to take out all my piercings except the two eyebrow ones.

In total there were 16 I'd taken out. 1 for every year I'd spent in that hell hole I called a home. My eyebrow piercings were from when I was initiated and when I was chosen a Dauntless leader. They served to remind me who I really served.

At 7:50 I began my walk to the transfer dorms and knocked on the door.

"Eric?" I was asked by a confused Christina. "You're Tris's mystery date?"

She regarded me with fear I could only expect from someone I had forced to hang over the chasm. I knew she wouldn't believe me if I said I had no intention of letting her fall.

"Yes, I'm here to pick her up now if that's alright with you." I meant it jokingly, but she seemed to take it as a move of authority.

"It's okay Christina, I'm ready. I'll meet you and Will later in the tattoo parlor."

She stepped out then, and all my other thoughts seemed to run for cover. She wore a tight black dress that, while modest, certainly didn't do her any shame.

"Wow." I muttered, sounding stupid in response to her beauty.

She really did look really gorgeous. It made me feel even more guilty about having other intentions.

"Let's go then." I finally managed, motioning for her to follow me. Of all my experiences as a spy for Jeanine, this was going to be the most difficult assignment of all,

Well I'll tell you the rest next time, as it was quite an interesting evening.

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**_I am trying to develop Eric a little more so bear with me if he seems out of character. I'm trying my best._**


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